03Oct

Companies, train your employees for the jobs of the future

Technology innovations have yet to turn the professional world upside down. The changes that they are bringing are forcing workers to get out of their comfort zone and throw themselves in the fast growing job market of the future. It is even more true knowing that a study made by World Economic Forum revealed that 65% of the children who have started elementary school this last years will do jobs that don’t exist yet. Therefore technology innovations will result in the creation of new jobs. One should be prepared to not miss the progress of the world. It is essential for companies to get their employees ready for tomorrow’s jobs. For that to happen,one has to think about a new way of training.

Train your employees to become thristy for knowledge and go-getters

Training your employees to jobs that don’t exist just yet is a hard task to handle. It is necessary to have them ready to open up to new skills. The main goal of the employer will be to boost the curiosity of its employees by training them into people who are thirsty for knowledge and go-getters. Naturally,this new approach is totally different from the classic training concept based on the short term, for the simple fact that the speed evolution of jobs in the companies makes it impossible not to have planned trainings in the future. You must make your employees want to acquire some knowledge.

Prepare your employees to consider a career change in a peaceful manner

It is a knowed factor that technology innovations will result in creating new jobs, however on the downside some professions will also have to disappear because of the digital era. The employees will have to get use to that new reality and acquire new techniques that will allow them to quickly retrain in new jobs. A worker will now be able to go from one profession to the other all through his professional life and acquire new skills. It is in the companies’ best interest to keep the employability of their employees in the years to come in order to set themselves aside eom the bunch.

Make it easier for employees to have access to training

Training employees have always been something necessary for companies to do but sometimes it tend to be underestimated or ignored by employees who are more interested in making profits. Today, the way things are going, getting training for the jobs of the future is becoming a viability for the company. It is necessary to look training differently and make it more accessible. The companies will have to handle the school education now. Training should not be viewed as an obstacle. It is something that has to be the company’s own decision to prepare the employees.

You can also read How to become a successful negociater as a salesman ?

17Sep

Ways to successfully and truthfully explain gaps in your CV during an interview ?

It is common for a professional to notice in the CV of the candidate, what we usually call a « gap » in the career path of the latter, during the process of a job interview. Beyond a pure conjecture this embarrassing situation that appear as inconsistency in the career, whether it is true or not, is actually quite common. It does ring a bell especially knowing that majority of people have had that happened at least once in their lives. A gap in employment can be due to many factors. It could be due to a maternity leave. Or again to a personal project like trying to start a business for example. Finally, it could be the result of a contract breach that both parties agreed on and that led to a year leave. Either way, whatever the nature is, a gap in employment is always something that requires some logical explanation unless you want to fail the interview. But how exactly do you go around it without making a mistake? We will try to give an answer to that question in the following paragraphs.

Justifying a gap in your CV by making a coherent plan ?

First thing first, one of the smartest techniques used to explain a gap in your CV is by setting up a coherent plan that would fit with you career path or working experiences. It is crucial because you can be sure that the recruiter will not take lightly the words you choose to justify the gap in your CV. It is obviously a determining factor in the profile of the future employee.

Avoid lying to explain a gap in your CV by all means.

Because they want their interview to be successful some people are tempted to systematically lie to justify an existing gap in their CV. That type of behavior that consists of lying to justify in bad faith those times of inactivities or to change the dates of employments can end up having the opposite effect because if they find out about it, the candidate will lose any chance of having a successful interview. This is why it is very important to be honest when you are trying to explain a gap in the CV. Also, whatever the reason why your career was interrupted at some point of your life, be brief about your personal life. It really is the number one rule.

Use your cover letter to be ahead on the justifications

Contrary to popular misconceptions, a gap in the CV does not mean that you will not have a successful interview. Your cover letter can come handy when trying to anticipate on the questions you will probably get at the interview. It can help overcoming any concern the employer might have. Be honest no matter what and have a persuasive presentation. Make the person you’re speaking to know that what you were doing during your time of inactivity is not the proof of an incoherent behavior but rather the proof of an existing sense of initiative and determination. Taking this type of approach will help you gain some points and convince the employer that you are the best candidate for that position…Making an obstacle turn into an advantage will therefore show how good of a master mind you are.

You can also read Occupational burnout, an unknown disorder in Africa

13Sep

Occupational burnout, an unknown disorder in Africa

Burnout or work related exhaustion is not just just a theory anymore considering the fact that we live in an era where more and more companies are looking for results and benefits. Now more than ever, society is speeding up rapidly. Because of that, those involved in the working world will need to show a remarkable capacity to adapt to any work situation. Burnout prevention is therefore necessary because it would allow workers to speed up their performances and boost their creativity. This issue is merely known in Africa. It is rare indeed to find companies that care about this important part of the life of a worker and want to prevent any type of suffering and mental harm in the workplace. Yet there are many tools and protocols that allow to do that. But what are actually the causes of a burnout and what are the signs?

What are the causes of a Burnout in Africa?

Although merely known in Africa, we can describe this disorder called burnout as a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion characterized by the disengagement of a person toward his job. The risk of having a burnout or work related exhaustion is real for everybody with a job that requires a deep professional commitment. That is the reason why the first signs of burnout have been noticed in the nursing profession. Workplace exhaustion is so serious that it is ranked 2nd among the work-related issues . A burnout occurs when the worker has the feeling that there is a gap between his expectations, the way he sees his job and what the job actually is in reality. It is home to a constant and unbearable stress. Burnout is not classified as a mental health condition. It is a mix of multiple syndromes resulting from a damaged relationship with one’s job.

What are the signs of a Burnout?

The first sign of a burnout is an emotional, physical and mental exhaustion. The individual will feel extreme fatigue that will not be relieved even with the usual resting hours. As a consequence he will not be productive, and will not be able to do his job properly. In other words, occupational exhaustion will lead to disengagement toward one’s job in addition to an impaired self worth, a decline in one’s feeling of successful accomplishment of one’s work, a feeling of ineffectiveness. There are many people working in companies in Africa who are suffering from that disorder without it generating any type of interest from those involved in the working world.

You can also read Well-being in the workplace: Where do we stand in Africa ?

11Sep

Well-being in the workplace: Where do we stand in Africa?

Following the succession of suicides of some workers that shook France in 2007, the topic regarding quality of life in the workplace is not something that Management takes lightly anymore. People merely talked about it before but these dramatic event that occured, make them realise how well-being in the workplace plays a key role in motivating the worker. It is not a secret anymore that nothing great can happen if the worker is in a working environment where he is feeling down and is stressed out constantly. Actually, some companies have understood it very well. That is the reason why they put in place some mechanisms to encourage the well-being of their employees. The same is true for African companies. However it is sad to see that it underlines a deeper issue that doesn’t seem important. Many African companies have yet to find a way to deal with the matter effectively.

A wake of interest from the World Health Organization about the concept of well-being at the workplace.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is very much concerned with the issue of well-being at the workplace and gave an official definition to describe it. It is defined as “ A state of mind where there is a quite good balance between the skills, needs and aspirations of the worker and the pressure and opportunities at the workplace. Basically “well-being at the workplace”refers to all elements that could potentially have an impact on the working conditions of the employees. It includes security, hygiene of the premises, health protection of workers, the physical and mental effects of the tasks carried out, workplace ergonomics etc. According to the Administrator of Syntec and president of the consulting firm Stimulus, David Mahé who published a look out about stress at the workplace “there is 2 types of stimulation, one that gives meaning to what we do and another that is about duty. Being committed is about the meaning and the enjoyment.”Despise all that, in Africa, many companies struggle to adapt to that reality.

A theoretical approach of the issue of well-being at the workplace for many African companies

Officially in Africa, many companies talk about the interest they have on the well-being of their employees. However, if we pay more attention to it, we notice that there is a gap between the declarations of interest and the reality. Progress is not for pretend anymore. African companies really need to commit themselves to finding ways to improve the working conditions. It is about, putting the human being in the center of the values of the company for its own sake and for the sake of the co-workers.

You can also read Professional retraining in Africa

24Jun

Africa, the new found playground for tech giants

Today, Africa is the continent where all the biggest tech companies of the world are counting on. Thanks to those new establishments, lots of new jobs are to come for the local people.

14Jun

How to exploit the new skills brought by the talents of the diaspora?

With a sustainable growth of the African companies contribution, such private as state ones, in the continental economy, the human resources return from a foreign experience allows a practices and knowledge’s sharing, important aspect…

23May

Investment in Africa: the new trending sectors

Thanks to a globalized economy, the African continent is on the rise. It is an el dorado for investors looking for business opportunities. Because of that, it became the number one favorite destination for an expansion of a business activity and it is not very surprising knowing that half of the countries with the highest growth rate in the world are from Africa. This last few years, most of the new millionaires and investors set their eyes on the black continent looking for a profitable sector to invest in. Investing in Africa has therefore become the new trend for business moguls but what exactly are those sectors?solar energy, agribusiness,not to forget internet access, are all very lucrative sectors in Africa.

Solar energy

In Africa, there are plenty of potential and opportunities for investors. Some sectors are more popular than others because of their profitability like the solar energy business. It represents one of the most abundant resource in Africa since it is available 300 days a year. In fact, according to recent studies from Irena, the African continent is the most favorable place in the world for solar energy development. Based on what he said, investments in solar parks, nowadays reach approximately 1.3 million of dollars for every MW installed compared to a world average MW installed of 1.8 million.

The agribusiness

Apart from solar energy, the agribusiness sector in Africa is very popular. It is a relatively unexplored business that represents a real gold mine. Based on this observation, Aliko Dangote,the richest man in Africa presumably invested 1 million dollar in rice production. Obviously, he is aware of the amount of money Africa spend in importing rice.

Internet access

It is estimated that the internet access market in Africa is worth billions.According to Mckinsey Global Institute firm, Internet could be instrumental in bringing 318 billions of US dollars in the continent gross domestic product by 2025. Those numbers go to show how promising this sector is in terms of investing in it.

An urgent need in human resources

Those new trending sectors call for new skills and for that reason human resources would need to be trained so they can deal with it accordingly. Thus, many young people are leaning toward pursuing a career in those demanding field.

03May

Business in Africa: Startup, the keyword for cost-effective investments

Startup Africa – Many global professionals from all business sectors are looking for good deals to invest in and make profits. Africa is actually the “business place to be”; with a growing economy that…

31Jan

Conseils de « repat »: Comment Planifier mon Projet Professionnel de retour en Afrique ?

Tips for “Repat”: How to Plan my Professional Return Project ?

Diaspora Advice – This article was published by a “repat” in the blog africanamazone.com is still relevant. We feel this attachment to Africa from the very first lines of this reflection that the author wanted to share, on a subject at the heart of the concerns of the African diaspora: the return to Africa

28Jan

Africa – Investing in human resources, a priority. Why?

For entrepreneurs in Africa and its diaspora, investing in the continent is the main solution to participate in its development. Several investment niches are mentioned. The creation of startups in the field of technologies and services causes more fundraising.

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